MAR 


Issueil  February  4,  1915. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  CHEMISTRY— Circular  No.  6x,  Revised. 
CARL  L.  ALSBERG,  Chief  of  Bureau. 


HOW  TO  KILL  AND  BLEED  MARKET  POULTRY.1 

By  M.  E.  PENNINGTON,  Chief  Food  Research  Laboratory,  aud  H.  M.  P.  BETTS. 

n 

[With  an  added  section  on  "A  Knife  for  Killing  Poultry,"  by  H.  C.  Pierce* Food  Research  Laboratory.] 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  problem  of  getting  poultry  to  market  in  first-class  condition, 
as  determined  by  its  appearance,  flavor,  and  "keepings^uality,"  is 
no  longer  the  comparatively  simple  proposition  that  the  farmer  or 
poultry  dresser  found  it  in  the  days  when  cities  were  smaller  and 
could  draw  upon  their  environs  for  a  ]arge  share  of  the  poultry  which 
they  consumed.  At  the  present  time  the  quantities  of  perishable 
foodstuffs  of  all  kinds  required  by  the  cities  are  so  great  that  their 
immediate  vicinity  can  not  supply  the  demand.  Neither  do  the 
various  parts  of  the  country  endeavor  at  the  present  time  to  supply 
either  the  quantity  or  the  variety  of  perishable  foods  consumed  in 
them,  because  economic  conditions  have  made  it  advisable  for  certain 
sections  of  the  country,  especially  adapted  to  the  production  of  cer- 
tain kinds  of  crops,  to  raise  these  in  much  larger  amounts  than  are 
needed  for  home  consumption,  and  to  send  the  surplus  to  the  sections 
of  nonproduction,  or  where  a  shortage  prevails.  Such  a  condition 
of  affairs  has  led  to  the  lengthening  of  the  period  between  production 
and  consumption.  In  orpler,  therefore,  that  perishable  produce 
shall  s4/ill  reach  the  market  in  good  condition,  it  must  be  handled 
in  such  wise  that  deterioration  will  be  checked  as  far  as  possible. 
To  accomplish  this  there  ha^e  been  developed  railroad  refrigerator 
cars,  fast  freights,  cold-storage  warehouses,  and  all  that  vast  and 
complicated  system  on  which  depends  the  feeding  of  our  populace 
the  year  round  and  the  equalization  of  seasonal  and  regional  overpro- 
duction. In  spite  of  this  system,  however,  if  care  of  the  product  at 
the  source  of  production  is  lacking,  deterioration  will  occur  before 
the  product  reaches  the  consumer.  The  California  orange  must  be 
cut  from  the  tree  carefully  and  handled  carefully  if  it  is  to  tra\*el 
with  safety  from  the  Pacific  States  to  the  consumer  in  New  York. 
The  Oregon  raspberry  must  be  picked  at  the  proper  stage  of  develop- 

1  Originally  issued  Aug.  13,  1910,  as  Circular  No.  61  of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry. 
74428°— ]  5 


»  -Ml  VO-oO 


, 

Itl':  11XD   BLEED    MARKET    POULTEY, 


ment  ^kH  ftiert*|cept  eoolif'jt  is^to  be  enjoyed  by  the  people  in  Minne- 
apolis and  St.  Paul.  The  meat  raised  on  our  western  prairies  must 
be  properly  slaughtered,  chilled,  and  maintained  in  a  chilled  condition 
if  it  is  to  feed  the  people  of  London. 

Just  so  it  is  with  dressed  poultry.  If  it  is  to  reach  the  consumer 
with  the  best  of  flavor  and  wholesomeness,  the  most  attractive 
appearance,  and  in  the  best  possible  state  of  preservation,  it  must  be 
properly  raised,  killed,  and  dressed.  Granting  that  the  chicken  has 
been  bred  and  fed  to  be  a  good  eating  chicken  and  that  it  is  ready 
for  slaughter,  the  first  step  in  the  preservation  of  its  good  qualities 
is  to  starve  it  for  twenty-four  hours,  allowing,  however,  a  liberal 
supply  of  fresh,  clean  water  during  this  period.  The  intestines  of 
the  bird  having  been  emptied  of  food,  the  next  step  in  the  dressing 
of  market  poultry  is  the  proper  killing  and  bleeding  of  the  fowl, 
and  it  is  with  this  question  that  the  present  publication  is  chiefly 
concerned. 

EVIDENCES  OF  BAD  BLEEDING. 

A  very  large  proportion  of  the  unsightly  poultry  in  our  markets, 
aside  from  the  rubbing  and  tearing  of  the  skins,  is  caused  by  an 
incomplete  removal  of  the  blood.  This  is  evidenced  by  red  dots 
which  frequently  occur  where  the  feathers  have  been  removed, 
especially  over  the  thighs  and  wings;  or  by  the  small  veins  which 
are  seen  over  the  breast  and  in  the  angles  of  the  wings,  or  larger 
veins,  which  mar  the  appearance  of  the  neck.  Generally  it  is  the 
neck  which  shows  most  plainly  the  presence  of  blood  in  the  fowl,  or 
that  a  wrong  method  has  been  used  in  cutting  the  blood  vessels  in 
an  attempt  to  empty  them.  The  neck  is  the  first  part  to  discolor, 
becoming  first  red,  then  bluish  red  or  purple,  and  finally  green  as 
aging  progresses.  Often  there  are  discolored  areas  on  the  sides  of 
the  neck  close  to  the  head  which  look  like  bruises.  These  are  com- 
monly caused  by  the  killer  holding  the  neck  of  the  bird  when  cutting 
the  veins,  and  thereby  preventing  the  blood  from  escaping.  This 
question  is  so  important,  however,  that  it  will  be  considered  in  detail 
later  on.  Not  only  are  the  results  of  bad  bleeding  observed  in  certain 
parts  of  the  body,  but  the  clear,  bright  color  of  the  flesh  for  which 
every  poultry  dresser  tries  is  never  at  its  best  unless  the  blood  has 
been  completely  drained  out. 

MARKET  LOSS  DUE  TO  BAD  BLEEDING. 

At  least  30  per  cent  of  all  the  poultry  coming  into  the  New  York 
market  is  incompletely  bled.  Much  of  it  is  so  badly  bled  that  it 
results  in  a  loss  of  from  2  to  5  cents  a  pound,  as  compared  with  the 
corresponding  poultry  which  is  well  bled  and  in  good  order.  Aside 
from  the  bad  appearance  of  incompletely  bled  chickens,  their  keeping 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND   BLEED   MARKET   POULTRY.  3 

properties  are  very  inferior.  The  flesh  loses  its  firmness  sooner;  its 
flavor  is  not  so  good;  the  odor  of  stale  flesh  and  finally  of  putrefac- 
tion comes  sooner;  and  in  every  way  the  product  is  more  perishable. 

KEEPING   QUALITY   OF   WELL   AND   BADLY   BLED    CHICKENS. 

A  very  careful  study  is  now  being  made  in  this  laboratory  of  the 
comparative  periods  of  time  that  well  and  badly  bled  chickens  will 
keep.  This  is  being  determined  for  every  phase  of  their  marketing  — 
their  condition  after  chilling  in  the  packing  house;  when  they  reach 
the  end  of  their  railroad  haul;  and  when  they  have  passed  through  the 
various  channels  of  a  large  city  to  the  consumer.  The  time  required 
for  such  a  study  makes  it  impossible  to  give  the  results  of  the  work 
in  detail  at  present.  Certain  salient  points,  however,  stand  out  with 
such  sharpness  that  it  seems  advisable  to  report  them  in  a  summa- 
rized form,  that  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  dressing  and  handling 
of  poultry  may  be  able  to  profit  by  them  at  once. 


STUDY  OF  BLOOD  VESSELS  OF  NECK  AND 

An  anatomical  study  of  the  blood  vessels  of  the  head  and  neck  of 
the  chicken  has  been  included  hi  the  investigation  of  the  handling  and 
marketing  of  dressed  poultry  in  order  to  determine  the  best  methods 
of  bleeding  and  the  reasons  for  the  incomplete  bleeding  which  is  so 
prevalent.  Heretofore  there  has  been  no  description  available  of 
the  number  and  location  of  the  large  veins  in  the  neck  of  a  chicken. 
This  lack  of  knowledge  has  resulted  in  much  indiscriminate  hacking 
and  gashing  of  the  chicken's  mouth,  all  of  which  is  frequently  done 
to  no  purpose,  because  in  spite  of  the  many  cuts  the  large  veins  which 
carry  the  blood  often  are  not  touched. 

"  CUTTING"  TO  BLEED  AND  "STICKING"  TO  BRAIN. 

When  the  feathers  are  removed  by  scalding,  the  bird  is  killed  by 
bleeding  alone,  hence  the  cuts  to  sever  the  veins  are  the  only  ones 
attempted,  and  if  the  attempt  fails  bad  bleeding  will  surely  result. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  dry  picking  is  to  be  practiced,  the  birds  are  cut 
to  bleed  and  are  also  stuck  through  the  brain  to  paralyze  the  feather 
muscles.  The  latter  operation  is  sometimes  performed  by  ruiining 
the  knife  under  the  eye  at  such  an  angle  that  its  point  will  touch  the 
skull  midway  between  the  eyes  and  a  little  behind  them;  or  the 
braining  is  accomplished  by  placing  the  knife  about  halfway  down 
the  groove  in  the  roof  of  the  chicken's  mouth,  and  then  thrusting  it 
up  until  the  knife  reaches  the  top  of  the  skull.  The  knife,  as  in 
sticking  under  the  eye,  should  touch  the  brain  in  the  back  part  of 
the  skull.  The  point  of  the  knife  should  then  be  twisted  slightly,  so 
that  enough  brain  tissue  may  be  destroyed  to  paralyze  the  bird  and 
cause  the  feathers  to  loosen.  If  the  "outside-stick"  method  is  prac- 
ticed, practically  no  blood  escapes.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  braining 


HOW   TO    KILL   AND   BLEED   MARKET    POULTRY. 


inside  of  the  mouth  is  adopted,  the  blood  vessels  in  the  brain  which 
are  cut  find  an  outlet  for  their  contents  through  the  knife  hole. 
Bleeding  from  these  vessels  is,  under  any  circumstances,  of  assistance 

in  obtaining  the  best  results, 
and  where  the  neck  vessels  are 
missed  the  condition  of  the 
chicken  is  often  greatly  im- 
•  proved  by  the  bleeding  from 
the  brain. 


DISCUSSION    OF    THE    ILLUS- 
TRATIONS. 

LOCATION    OF   VEINS. 

The  location  of  the  principal 
veins  in  the  neck  of  the  chicken, 
their  relation  to  the  skull,  and 
the  point  at  which  it  is  desirable 
to  make  the  cut  for  bleeding, 
are  shown  in  the  accompanying 
illustrations.  Figure  1  shows 
the  head  and  neck  of  a  young 
cock  about  a  year  old.  Two 
large  veins  (heavily  lined  with 
black  in  the  figure)  run  the  whole 
length  of  the  neck,  one  on  each 
side,  and  unite  by  a  "bridge- 
vein"  which  is  just  below  and  be- 
hind the  ear.  This  vein,  which 
connects  the  two  others,  does 
not  run  straight  across  but  at 
an  angle,  so  that  it  is  farther 
front  on  the  right  than  on  the 
left  side.  If  the  feathers  on  the 
neck  of  a  chicken  are  pushed 
aside,  or,  better  still,  if  a  molt- 
ing chicken  with  but  a  few 
feathers  is  observed,  these  veins 
can  be  seen  at  each  side  of 
the  neck  while  the  bird  is  alive, 
especially  if  a  little  pressure  is 


.  1.— External  view  of  head  and  neck,  showing 
position  of  veins. 


used  at  the  lower  part  of  the  neck  so  that  the  blood  collects  and 
distends  them.  It  is  important  that  the  position  of  these  veins  be 
exactly  located  011  the  neck  of  the  live  bird,  since  upon  this  infor- 


HOW    TO    KILL    AND    BLEED    MARKET    POULTRY.  5 

mation  will  depend  very  largely  the  proper  guiding  of  the  knife  to  the 
blood  vessel. 

Figure  2  shows  two  sketches  of  a  chicken's  head  from  which  the 
lower  jaw  has  been  removed.  The  lower  jaw  of  the  chicken  is  much 
longer  than  the  beak.  It  runs  back  to  a  point  just  below  the  ear, 
where  the  hinged  joint  can  be  felt.  The  skin  which  makes  the  corner 
of  the  mouth  and  limits  the  length  of  the  beak  ends  is  indicated  in 
the  anatomical  drawing  marked  "A."  The  skin  and  lower  jaw  have 
been  cut  away  in  order  that  the  position  of  the  veins  which  lie  far 
back  on  the  roof  of  the  mouth  and  just  below  its  surface  may  be  seen. 
The  groove  which  occurs  in  the  roof  of  the  chicken's  mouth  is  a  guide 
to  the  position  of  the  blood  vessel  which  it  is  desirable  to  cut,  this  point 
being  behind  and  to  the  left  of  the  end  of  the  groove  when  the  chicken 
is  held  head  down  and  with  the  lower  side  of  the  head  uppermost. 
The  direction  and  position  of  the  cut  which  is  to  sever  the  veins  is 
shown  in  figure  2  to  be  on  the  left  side  of  the  chicken's  head  when  in 
the  position  just  described.  Because  the  short  blood  vessel  connect- 
ing the  two  long  veins,  which  we  have  termed  the  "  bridge,"  does  not 
run  straight  but  at  an  angle,  the  point  just  indicated  is  farthest  front 
and  the  most  easily  reached  by  the  knife.  As  stated  before,  these 
veins  lie  just  below  the  skin  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  hence  a  deep 
cut  is  not  needed,  neither  is  an\  amount  of  strength  required  for 
the  operation. 

It  will  be  observed  that  just  in  front  of  the  line  which  indicates  the 
point  at  which  these  veins  are  to  be  cut  they  divide  into  two  small 
branches,  the  course  of  which  is  not  further  shown.  This  is  because 
they  very  soon  pass  through  small  holes  in  the  bone  and  go  into  the 
inside  of  the  skull,  and  into  the  deep  tissue,  where  they  are  quite 
safe  from  the  killer's  knife.  If,  then,  these  large  veins  are  to  be  sev- 
ered, the  cut  must  be  made  far  enough  back  to  reach  them  before 
they  penetrate  the  bones  of  the  skull.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  cut 
is  made  too  far  back  and  over  the  edge  of  the  skull,  as  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  connection  with  figure  2,  B,  much  of  the  blood  will  settle  in 
the  loose  tissue  of  the  neck  instead  of  running  out  of  the  mouth, 
thereby  clogging  the  vessels  and  preventing  complete  bleeding,  as 
well  as  making  unsightly  discolored  areas  on  the  neck  near  the  head. 
It  is  better  to  make  one  cut  as  shown  in  this  plate  rather  than  to 
cut  the  "bridge"  in  the  middle  or  to  cut  each  side  vein  separately, 
since  this  sometimes  results  in  the  clotting  of  the  blood  at  the  ends 
of  the  veins  before  the  bleeding  is  completed. 

ANATOMY    OF   THE    SKULL. 

From  what  has  been  said  concerning  the  necessity  of  cutting  far 
back  in  order  to  reach  the  point  desired,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is 
necessary  to  know  something  of  the  position  and  shape  of  the  bones 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND  BLEED    MARKET    POULTRY. 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND   BLEED   MARKET   POULTRY.  7 

of  the  chicken's  skull  and  their  relation  to  the  external  parts  of  the 
head.  This  information  is  given  in  figure  2,  B.  Dotted  lines  aroimd 
the  drawing  of  the  skull  show  the  position  of  wattles ,  comb,  etc.  In 
this  sketch,  too,  is  shown  clearly  the  length  of  the  chicken's  jaw,  as 
before  mentioned.  Its  hinge  will  be  found  on  the  head  of  the  live 
bird  just  below  the  ear.  Still  farther  back  there  is  a  U-shaped 
depression  in  the  skull  into  which  fits  the  upper  part  of  the  spinal 
column.  The  spine  is  not  shown  in  the  sketch,  bnt  the  bridge  vein 
connecting  the  two  large  veins  of  the  neck  lies  directly  across  the 
U-shaped  depression. 

It  can  be  seen  by  studying  this  drawing  how  far  back  the  knife 
must  go  if  the  veins  are  to  be  cut  at  the  angle,  and  it  will  also  be  ob- 
served that  when  they  are  cut  in  this  position  the  knife  will  have  a 
bony  backing  which  will  prevent  it  from  going  too  deep,  thereby 
obviating  the  spongy  mass  of  blood  in  the  neck  tissues  which  was  dis- 
cussed in  connection  with  figure  2,  A.  This  illustration  a}so  shows 
where  the  fingers  can  grasp  the  head  of  the  chicken  firmly  and  yet 
not  press  against  the  soft  parts  of  the  neck.  Just  above  the  angle  of 
the  jaw — that  is,  about  at  the  chicken's  ear — there  is  a  smooth,  strong 
area  of  bone  large  enou^di  to  support  the  thumb  on  one  side  and 
the  forefinger  on  the  other,  and  this  is  where  the  head  should  be  held 
while  killing. 

POSITION    OF    HAND    AND    KNIFE. 

Figure  3  shows  the  position  of  a  chicken  ready  for  killing  and 
held  by  the  feet  in  a  U-shaped  shackle.  Notice  that  the  thumb  of 
the  killer  is  pressed  firmly  down  on  the  head  just  below  and  behind 
the  ear  in  the  space  to  which  attention  was  called  when  discussing 
the  bones  of  the  skull.  Here,  too,  is  the  hinge  of  the  jaw.  Pressure 
of  the  thumb  on  one  side  of  this  portion  of  the  skull  and  on  the  other 
side  at  the  same  place  with  the  forefinger,  or  with  the  forefinger  and 
second  finger,  will  result  in  opening  the  chicken's  mouth  and  holding 
it  open  while  the  operator  makes  the  cut  to  bleed.  Held  in  such 
fashion,  there  is  nothing  to  constrict  the  blood  vessels,  thereby  pre- 
venting the  blood  from  escaping  even  though  these  vessels  be  cut. 
The  pressure  against  the  jaw  makes  accurate  cutting  of  the  veins 
easier,  since  the  bird  can  not  close  its  mouth  until  the  pressure  is 
removed.  Of  course,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  stretch  the  neck 
unduly,  else  the  vessels  will  be  pulled  to  such  a  narrow  diameter 
that  they  are  more  difficult  to  find  and  also  more  difficult  to  empty. 

The  position  of  the  knife  in  the  mouth,  which  is  shown  by  the 
dotted  line,  needs  no  further  explanation.  The  knife  itself,  how- 
ever, is  very  different  from  that  ordinarily  used  in  the  bleeding  of 
chickens.  The  knife  in  common  use  is  much  too  large,  both  too 


8 


HOW    TO    KILL   AXD   BLEED    MARKET    POULTRY. 


long  and  too  broad  for  the  most  successful  work.  Generally  it  js 
provided  with  a  heavy  handle,  large  enough  to  be  grasped  easily 
by  a  large,  strong  hand.  As  has  already  been  observed  in  this  dis- 
cussion, the  heavy  slashing  inside  the  bird's  mouth  is  not  only  fre- 
quently futile  so  far  as  cutting  the  veins  goes,  but  is  really  harmful 
in  that  it  makes  a  pathway  for  the  entrance  of  bacteria  and  the  con- 
sequent hastening  of  the  bird's  decomposition.  The  operation  calls 
for  accuracy  rather  than  for  strength,  and  therefore  it  is  desirable 
that  the  knife  should  have  a  smaller  handle,  which  can  not  be  gripped 
so  hard.  The  blade  of  the  knife  should  be  about  2  inches  long  and 


FIG.  3.— Correct  grasp  of  head  at  angle  of  jaw  and  position  of  small  knife  when  cutting  vein. 

one-fourth  of  an  inch  wide  and  of  a  heavy  piece  of  steel,  so  that  it 
will  not  bend.  It  is  advisable,  therefore,  to  have  the  back  of  the 
blade  about  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  thick.  It  should  be  made  of  good 
hard  steel  and  ground  to  a  sharp  point  with  a  straight  cutting  edge, 
the  slope  for  the  point  being  taken  from  the  back  rather  than  from 
the  edge.  The  working  space  in  the  back  part  of  the  mouth  of  the 
chicken  where  the  blood  vessels  lie  is  very  small.  Often  the  knife 
which  is  used  by  the  killer  is  too  broad  to  go  into  this  space  without 
cutting  the  sides  of  the  mouth,  and  as  for  turning  and  guiding  it,  that 
is  quite  out  of  the  question. 


HOW    TO    KILL    AND   BLEED    MARKET    POULTRY.  9 

EXAMPLES    OF    BAD    CUTTING. 

Ineffectual  cutting,  due  to  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  structure  of 
the  chicken's  neck  and  head,  the  use  of  force  rather  than  skill  on  the 
part  of  the  operator,  and  a  knife  ill  adapted  to  the  work  which  it  has 
to  do,  is  illustrated  in  figures  4  and  5  which  show  some  of  the  most 
common  types  of  cuts  in  badly  bled  chickens.  A  study  of  these  illus- 


A 


FIG.  4.— Location  of  cuts  in  mouths  of  badly  bled  chickens  (lower  jaw  removed). 

trations  indicates  very  plainly  why  these  chickens  are  badly  bled. 
The  lower  jaws  from  these  heads  were  removed  so  that  the  position 
of  the  cuts  could  be  noted.  Head  A  has  had  two  cuts.  One  has  run 
parallel  with  the  connection  between  the  two  veins  and  very  close  to 
it  but  has  not  cut  it,  and  another  has  run  from  the  angle  of  the 
mouth  to  close  to  the  point  where  the  blood  vessel  on  the  left  side 


10 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND   BLEED   MARKET   POULTRY. 


of  the  head  breaks  into  the  two  smaller  vessels  and  penetrates  the 
bones  of  the  skull.  The  only  vessels  which  were  cut  in  this  chicken 
were  the  small  superficial  veins  supplying  the  roof  of  the  mouth  and 
from  which  the  bleeding  amounted  to  almost  nothing.  Head  B 
shows  a  cut  in  the  right  direction  but  it  did  not  go  quite  far  enough 
back  to  reach  the  veins  at  their  junction.  Head  A,  in  figure  5,  shows 


FIG.  5.— Attempts  at  "cross  cutting."  showing  veins  untouched. 

the  cross  cut  which  is  advocated  by  so  many  killers.  In  this  case  it 
was  made  too  far  front.  Both  of  the  large  veins  escaped  and  only 
the  small  vessels  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth  were  disturbed.  "B"  is  a 
good  illustration  of  indiscriminate  cutting  by  a  badly  directed  knife, 
which  in  all  probability  was  far  too  large,  since  the  upper  cut  extends 
all  the  way  across  the  roof  of  the  chicken's  mouth  and  almost  as  far 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND  BLEED   MARKET   POULTRY.          _          11 

front  as  the  beak.  Another  cut  which  partly  follows  the  groove  in 
the  roof  of  the  mouth  would  indicate  that  the  killer  had  tried  to 
make  a  cross  cut. 

Such  examples  of  bad  cutting  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely. 
Yet  the  general  principle  is  the  same  and  the  result  is  the  same — 
namely,  a  fowl  which  is  not  completely  bled,  which  is  unsightly,  even 
in  the  packing  house,  and  which  deteriorates  as  a  food  stuff  more 
rapidly  than  does  the  well-bled  chicken  under  similar  conditions. 

SUMMARY. 

The  facts  which  have  been  stated  in  the  foregoing  pages  may  be 
summarized  as  follows: 

(1)  Grasp  the  chicken  when  killing  by  the  bony  part  of  the  skulL 
Do  not  let  the  fingers  touch  the  neck. 

(2)  Make  a  small  cut  inside  the  mouth  on  the  right  side  of  the 
throat  just  where  the  bones  of  the  skull  end,  using  a  narrow-bladed 
sharp-pointed  knife.     The  direction  of  the  knife  is  upward  and 
toward  the  left  when  the  bird  is  held  head  downward  with  the  throat 
toward  the  operator  while  killing. 

(3)  Brain  for  dry  picking  by  thrusting  the  knife   through  the 
groove  which  runs  along  the  middle  line  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth  until 
it  pierces  the  brain  in  the  back  part  of  the  skull,  causing  a  loosening 
of  the  feathers. 

(4)  For  chickens  use  a  knife  the  blade  of  which  is  2  inches  long, 
one-fourth  inch  wide,  with  a  thin,  flat  handle,  a  sharp  point,  and  a 
straight  cutting  edge.     For  turkeys  the  blade  may  be  2£  inches  long. 
Keep  knives  very  sharp. 


12 


HOW    TO    KILL   AND   BLEED    MARKET   POULTRY. 


A  KNIFE  FOR  KILLING  POULTRY.1 

i 

By  H.  C.  PIERCE, 

Food  Research  Laboratory. 

The  knives  in  common  use  in  bleeding  and  braining  poultry  are 
not  suited  to  their  purpose.  The  blades  are 
too  broad  and  too  long  and  the  curve  at  the 
point  should  be  on  the  back  instead  of  on  the 
cutting  edge.  The  handle  is  so  large  that  the 
killer  is  encouraged  to  use  too  much  force  in 
making  the  cut  to  bleed,  whereas  a  light  touch 
of  the  sharp  knife,  properly  directed,  is  all  that 
is  needed  to  cut  the  blood  vessels.  The  knives 
are  also  insanitary  in  that  dirt  collects  at  the 
junction  of  the  blade  and  handle. 

The  knife  which  is  to  be  used  to  bleed  and 
brain  poultry  should  be  small,  with,  a  narrow 
blade;  stiff,  so  that  it  does  not  bend;  of  the 
best  steel,  so  that  it  can  be  kept  sharp  and  is 
not  nicked  when  used  in  braining;  and  the 
handle  and  blade  should  be  in  one  piece.  Such 
a  knife,  with  the  aid  of  the  packing-house 
emery  w^heel  or  grindstone  and  oilstone,  can 
be  made  from  an  8-inch  flat  file.  (See  fig. 
6,  a.) 

To  make  this  knife  the  blade  should  be 
shaped  from  the  small  end  of  the  file,  as 
shown  in  figure  6,  ft.  It  should  be,  for 
chickens,  2  inches  long,  one-fourth  inch  wide, 
and  one-sixteenth  inch  thick  at  the  back. 
For  turkeys  the  blade  should  be  2J  inches 
long.  The  curve  to  make  the  point  should 
slope  from  the  back  downward.  A  blade  of 
this  shape  reaches  the  blood  vessels  to  be  cut 
more  surely  than  does  a  blade  on  which  the 
point  curves  upward.  After  the  blade  is 
made  the  ridges  on  the  file  should  be  ground 
down,  leaving  just  enough  roughness  to  pre- 
vent the  knife  slipping  in  the  hand  of  the  killer.  The  handle  should 
be  5  inches  long. 

1  Originally  issued  as  an  independent  leaflet,  under  date  of  June  22,  1910. 


FIG.  6.— Knife  for  bleeding  and 
,  File  from 
was    made;  6, 


braining  poultry:  a,  File  from 
knife  was 


which 
knife. 


WASHINGTON  :   GOVERNMENT  PIUNTINO  OKI-'H'K  t    1.915 


300403 


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